The Fox and the Rabbit
by edwalk86
Summary: A rescue mission brings them together. Betrayal tears them apart. Now they must team up again to uncover the truth before it destroys not only them but the village they fought for.
1. A Snake and her fangs

Chapter 1. A Snake and her fangs.

Another fist flew through the air to connect with Anko's face as she remained strapped to the chair. A yell of pain escaped her lips as blood and sweat sprayed from her mouth and face in an arc from the impact that snapped her head to the left. Exhausted she let her head slump forward before coughing roughly. Blood dribbled from her mouth. Her unswollen right eye landed upon the increasingly growing pool of her own blood on the ground in front of her.

The man who punched her pulled back his arm to strike her again. "That's enough." At the command the man stepped back from the small cone of light cast by the lamp hanging over her head. Though she couldn't observe him too well now, Anko didn't need to observe the man much at all to know why his job consisted of beating the shit out of prisoners.

The man was a giant. Seven feet tall and bulging with muscle the man was a ninja only because he was a literal powerhouse. Anybody on the receiving end of his attacks was sure to be hurting. The first few times he had struck her Anko had put up a valiant effort of resisting. Now, after being struck by the tree trunks he called arms, she was sure she wouldn't last much longer. Not that she'd let him know that.

But that wasn't her main problem at the moment. It was the other man in the room that was the problem. The one in charge. The one interrogating her. A man no taller than her stepped into the light. Anko could remember every detail of his face not that she could see much of it now. Being an interrogator meant you needed an eye for detail. And she knew the moment she saw him that he knew how to play the game. He was an interrogator too. And a good one at that.

For what she was assuming was two days, at least that was the amount of time she thought had passed, Anko had been subjected to multiple forms of interrogation and torture in an effort to make her crack. Being who she was meant she had a better fortitude for such things, however even she had a limit.

Grabbing her hair roughly he yanked her head back so that she was forced to shut her eyes from the light directly shining down on her, an action which hurt even more because of the stinging pain coming from her swollen left eye.

"Now Anko, I think it's about time you start answering some questions, hmmm?" The smooth pleasant tone of the interrogator's voice pissed her off, much like every other time she was forced to listen to him. "It's not like I'm asking you an awful lot is it?"

The man let go of her hair and took a step back. Bringing her head forward she kept her lone open eye focused on the eyes of the man in front of her. They stared at each other briefly before he sighed in exasperation.

"Really Anko, must we do this the hard way?" The smile on his face pissed her off even more. She could tell he was purposely acting this way to annoy her. To get under her skin and make her snap. It was one of the many ways she herself had gotten information out of people. And now it was being used on her. Anko knew that anything she said right now would only lead to more pain. It was the way the game was played. And while she knew the best way to fight back was to give up nothing she couldn't really think too well at the moment.

"You know Anko, if you don't want to answer questions I can always have my friend here continue with his conversation." Though she couldn't see him too well in the darkness surrounding her Anko could still make out the other man who had been hitting her flexing his hands in response to what her interrogator had said. Anko jerked involuntarily, despite herself, at the mention of another beating.

"Would you like that Anko?" Her interrogator turned around to face the other man in the room but stopped as he heard Anko murmur something. Turning back around he took a step forward and placed a hand under Anko's chin to tilt her face toward him. "Would you care to repeat that Anko?"

The smirk on the man's face was all the motivation Anko needed. Spitting as much blood as she could in his face she watched as he reeled back with a yell at the attack. He wiped the blood from around his eyes and glared back at Anko. She didn't miss a beat and ground out in the most defiant voice she could manage while coughing in pain. "I said… fuck you… cocksucker!"

Her interrogator lost control at that. "You… bitch! You think that's funny!?" The man stepped forward and backhanded Anko hard enough that she toppled over on her right–hand side, a grunt of pain escaping her lips. However he wasn't done. Stepping over in front of her he then started kicking her in the stomach as she remained strapped to the chair.

"How do you like this bitch!?" He kicked her and this time the Anko screamed out louder from the impact. "You think this is funny!? That this is some game for your amusement" He kicked her again and she screamed again. "Let's see how funny it is when I've kicked the shit out of you, huh!?" He kicked her one more time and instead of a scream Anko groaned loud in pain as she started to lose consciousness.

"No, no, no, no." Stopping his attack he leaned forward so that he could cup her face in his hand and turn it towards him. "You're not passing out on me know bitch. You wanted to do this the hard way and now you're going to enjoy every moment of this." Anko groaned again and tried to twist her head out of his grip. "Shhhhhh." Lowering his voice to a whisper he bent down closer to her. "It's okay, it's okay. I'm going to enjoy every moment of this too. We're going to continue doing this now whether you tell me what I want to know or not."

Though she couldn't see his face, because her eyes were shut in pain, Anko could hear the viciousness in his voice. Her mind was foggy from her current state however a small part of her was happy that she had gotten to him. It didn't last long though.

_Bang. Bang. Bang._ Everyone in the room stopped at the interruption. Anko could feel the man interrogating her motion in some way to the other man who then reached over and opened the door. Light flooded the room from the action and revealed another ninja.

The man interrogating her turned his head to the door but didn't bother to stand up from his position over her. "What is it?" For several seconds there was silence. Not hearing anything Anko tried to open her right eye to see what was happening.

Though her vision was slightly blurry Anko could see a man standing outside the room not moving. She could only assume he was staring in shock at her and the man above her. And though she was in pain a small part of her brain registered that it was odd.

The man interrogating wasn't in the mood for shock though. "I asked. What. Is. IT!?" The harshness of his voice shocked the messenger out of his stupor.

The ninja saluted. "Sir, I'm here to inform you the commander needs to talk to you immediately in his office."

Anko's interrogator sighed loudly in resignation. "Fine. I'll be there in five minutes. You're dismissed."

"Understood Sir." Saluting again the ninja turned and left.

The interrogator turned his attention back onto Anko "It's your lucky day. I have to go now." Slapping her face lightly he stood up. "But don't think this means we're done here." To emphasise his point he kicked her hard in the stomach again.

Anko cried out in pain again and began to cough up some blood. Her interrogator was already in the doorway by the time she was able to control herself.

Making a quick motion with his hand he had a towel offered to him by the other man in the room. As he attempted to wipe his hands clean he looked back over his left shoulder at Anko. "Don't worry Anko I'll be back real soon. And then we can continue right where we left off." Finished with the towel he flicked it over his shoulder where it landed on her left arm. "Why don't you clean yourself up. Wouldn't want you looking dirty for our next date."

The smugness in his voice had Anko ready to throw another insult at him, but another coughing fit interrupted her. Her interrogator turned to the other man in the room before he left. "You stay here and guard her. Don't move her from that position."

The other man saluted. "Yes sir."

Watching the two men salute each other Anko struggled against her bindings briefly before stopping as the guard turned towards her after closing the door. Darkness covered the room except for the lamp still shining above her head, yet her eyes never left the other man's face as he resumed silently watching her.


	2. The Leader of the Pack

Chapter 2. The Leader of the Pack

The ninja base was located to the north of the small merchant village, its position advantageous to both locations for supply and defence. While civilians could travel by foot between the two locations in about 10 minutes, ninjas could also traverse the distance in a minute or two. This meant that there was enough separation between the two locations to allow both to go about their business, and that both could provide assistance to each other in a timely manner.

Kakashi could see how this type of arrangement could be beneficial to both parties yet he wondered about the financial and political ramifications of such a setup. And a more pressing matter was whether or not the people in the merchant village knew if the ninja base was authorised by the Daimyo of Hot Springs country. However he quickly pushed that all aside. He and Naruto had a mission to accomplish and until it was completed anyone standing in their way, ninja or civilian, was considered a threat. He just hoped it wouldn't come to that.

The both of them had been travelling back to Konoha after another successful mission, an assassination on an influential politician visiting Wave country, when they had received a message via slug from Senju Tsunade, the fifth Hokage.

The summoned messenger slug deposited the mission scroll on the ground in front of them and dispersed immediately, not even bothering to wait for a response. That was the only indication Kakashi and Naruto needed that the mission was serious. The messenger slug had left before a response could be given because their leader needed them to do this whether they were able to or not.

Their mission was to head to a small merchant village called Jinata, which was located in Hot Springs country, where an unidentified ninja base was located and rescue the captured members of Team Anko. The mission scroll listed that there were two team members confirmed alive: Mitarashi Anko and Hyuuga Hanabi.

Anko's team had been ambushed by enemy ninja while returning from a mission in the same country. Two of their team, Chuunin's named Takama and Kino, had been killed during the ambush while Anko and Hanabi were specifically targeted for capture. No mention was made of why they were specifically targeted, but Kakashi could draw several conclusions.

So Kakashi's and Naruto's job was to go in and rescue the two remaining members of Team Anko. Which would've been easy enough except for the last note on the mission scroll: the message sent back to Konoha was sent by Hanabi herself after she escaped capture. And instead of heading back to Konoha, Hanabi mentioned nothing on what she was going to do while help was organised. Which Kakashi knew meant she was either out there planning a rescue mission herself, was captured by an enemy, or was dead.

All three options were bad in Kakashi's opinion, but they had a mission to accomplish. And while he wasn't sure on the whereabouts of Hanabi, he was sure on the location of Anko. So for the time being he and Naruto proceeded with a plan to rescue Anko.

Surrounding the ninja base, and separating it from the village, was a small forest. While it didn't compare to the forests of Konoha, it was still quite dense, which was ideal for Kakashi to hide in while he kept an eye on the ninja base. Shifting his weight slightly on the branch of tree, Kakashi keyed his mic as he continued to scan the outer perimeter. "Status?"

For several seconds there was no response. He knew that communication with Naruto while he was undercover was a risky move at this point, but it was a risk he needed to take if they were going to succeed with their mission. Just as he was about to give up on a response and go back to waiting he got a response from the other end.

"Target located. Proceeding with extraction."

Kakashi allowed a small smile. "Roger. On your mark."

No response followed but Kakashi didn't need it. He and Naruto had completed so many missions together that they knew they could count on each other. Naruto would get the job done inside the base. And Kakashi would complete his job outside the base.

* * *

Naruto swore under his breath as he waited just down the hallway, around a corner, from the impromptu interrogation room that Anko was located in.

He and Kakashi had come up with a good plan to get in and rescue Anko. He would go into the base disguised as one of the enemy ninja and locate Anko. While this was happening Kakashi would plant several explosive tags at key points around the base. Then once Naruto had Anko, Kakashi would blow the tags and they would escape in the confusion.

Nice, clean, and simple. Yet if there was one thing Naruto had learnt throughout his years as a ninja, it was that nothing went to plan.

While doing recon on the base and village Naruto and Kakashi had identified a rough hierarchy of ninja's in the base. Knowing who was an underling by several visual clues they then used that knowledge to grab a lone ninja wandering the streets after several drinks at a bar in the village during the night. One sharingan-powered genjutsu from Kakashi later and they had a rough layout of the base, how many ninja there were, and more importantly, where Anko was located.

By chance they had grabbed a ninja that spent a bit of time running errands for the commander of the base. Disguised as him Naruto would be able to move around the inside of the base freely without attracting too much attention.

As morning came Naruto disguised himself with a henge of the man they kidnapped and activated a seal on his body that restricted the amount of chakra he could access while making his chakra signature smaller. Now sufficiently in character Naruto began approaching the base with confidence that only an advanced ninja sensor would be able to tell he was not who he appeared to be. And he and Kakashi knew from the information provided by their 'informant' that there were no sensors in the base.

As he walked through the base he used some personal information gathered on the man he was imitating to move about and interact with other ninjas with ease. Knowing time was of the essence he quickly found the room he needed to. And that's where he almost blew the entire mission.

The hallway he was standing in was empty yet he might as well have been in the interrogation room considering how loud the noise was coming from the room. Each time Anko was hit the sound of the impact, and the scream that followed, echoed down the empty corridor. Stretching out his senses he could tell no-one else was in the immediate vicinity. Walking up to the door he adopted a rigid posture and knocked three times. All noise on the other side of the door ceased and then it opened.

Seeing Anko laying on her side on the floor, strapped to a chair, and badly beaten left Naruto shocked. Despite all the years of training and countless tragedies he'd seen his body shut down briefly. The other two men in the room were inconsequential as his eyes locked on the form of Anko. Yet as quickly as it came the professional in him quickly took back over before it was too late. He didn't need his emotions jeopardising the mission right now. And it was just in time too.

"I asked. What. Is. IT!?" The man interrogating Anko asked a second time from his position on top of Anko. Naruto brought himself out of his brief shock at the same time and quickly saluted the man.

"Sir, I'm here to inform you the commander needs to talk to you immediately in his office."

Naruto watched the man sigh loudly in resignation. "Fine. I'll be there in five minutes. You're dismissed."

"Understood Sir." Saluting again Naruto turned and left down the hallway in the opposite direction that he came. Gaining control of his warring emotions, something he didn't expect to cause him issues, he made it the end of the hallway and hid himself around the corner. Clenching his hands into fists he focused his mind on his next course of action. He couldn't get sidetracked by feelings of pity and protection. He needed to get Anko out of here safely.

That was the time that Kakashi's voice decided to come out of his radio. "Status?"

Taking a deep breath he focused his senses back down the hallway he just left just in time to hear a brief exchange between the interrogator and the other man guarding the room.

"You stay here and guard her. Don't move her from that position."

"Yes sir." The sound of footsteps heading in the opposite direction and a door closing told Naruto all he needed to know. The interrogator had left in the direction of the command centre while the guard had closed the door to the room.

Keying his mic Naruto responded back to Kakashi. "Target located. Proceeding with extraction."

The response was immediate. "Roger. On your mark."

Taking one more calming breath Naruto walked back around the corner and down the hallway to the room. His mind was focused now. The mission was proceeding again as planned. Getting to the door he knocked on it twice and waited. Not one to disappoint the guard on the other side opened the door barely two seconds later and looked at him harshly.

"What do you want?" The curt tone played right into Naruto's hands.

Naruto pushed past the guard into the darkened room and stopped three feet from Anko. "I just wanted to see the Konoha bitch everyone's been talking about." Making himself sound nasty he didn't have long to wait for the guard to respond.

"Well this isn't some goddamn peep show." The guard took a step towards Naruto and reached out with his right hand. "So get the hell out!" However the guard never got to finish his next action.

Acting the way he did Naruto had already anticipated the guard's reaction and moved before anything else could be said. Naruto slipped underneath the man's outstretched right arm pivoting around so they were face to face, pulled a kunai from his hip holster, and jammed the point of it into the man's throat. Naruto clamped his free hand over the guard's mouth at the same time to muffle any sound and pushed the man up against the wall to the left of the doorway.

Surprise and shock shone in the man's eyes, yet there was nothing he could do as Naruto had him pinned to the wall. And then two seconds later he was dead. Naruto watched the man carefully for another few seconds to make sure he was dead, and satisfied that he was, lowered the corpse of the guard to the floor.

Standing back up Naruto now turned his attention on Anko. Glossing over the mess that was her face and clothes Naruto walked over to her and leaned down in front of her. The eyes that looked back at him were full of confusion and fear.

"It's okay Anko, it's me, Naruto." Dropping the henge he began to reach over behind her to undo the chakra-restraining bindings on her wrists when Anko recoiled in fear at his touch.

"Get away fr…" Naruto clamped his hand firmly over Anko's mouth as she mumbled loudly into his hand. She struggled in vain for a few more seconds but Naruto didn't care. Right now he was straining his senses in all directions trying to pick up on any activity in the vicinity of the room.

Naruto eventually felt Anko give up on struggling, and satisfied that no-one in the base had been alerted by Anko's outburst, turned his attention back on her again.

"What the hell's wrong with you? It's me dammit." Naruto kept his voice low but he couldn't keep the anger out. "I'm here with Kakashi to rescue you." The look in her eyes went from disbelief to relief in seconds. "Now I'm going to remove my hand. Are you going to keep it quiet?" A quick nod and Naruto removed his hand.

Naruto reached over and started undoing the bindings on her wrists again. Using the kunai he used to kill the guard he had Anko untied from chair in seconds. Being careful with her he helped her into a sitting position. He watched her flex her hands and arms with obvious discomfort.

"You going to be okay to move?" Anko looked at him with anger in her eyes. Naruto didn't have time for it. "Don't start Anko. I know you're tough, but I need to get you out of here fast, and if that means carrying you over my shoulder then so be it."

They stared at each other for several seconds. Anko seemed to come to the same conclusion as him. "Help me up. Then we… can get out of here." The cough inbetween her words had the pool of blood on the ground growing. Naruto scowled but grabbed an arm with his other arm reaching around her waist and helped her up. The wince of pain on her face and the unsteadiness of her legs didn't bode well for getting her out of the base easily.

Anko seemed to be read his mind. "Once I get moving I'll be fine. They had me strapped to that chair for too long." Naruto looked back at the chair on the ground and noticed a sealing array etched into the seat of it.

"There is another alternative." Naruto reached into holster on his hip and removed a syringe. "This is a special mix from the Akamichi clan. It's a dose of adrenalin mixed with their chakra boosting drugs. Kakashi gave it to me as a last resort."

Anko stared at the offered drugs. "Side effects?"

"Nothing a few days in bed won't fix. But with your injuries I'm not too sure."

"Do it."

Naruto didn't wait another second and stuck the needle in Anko's right arm. A few seconds later Anko was standing on her own and ready to go. Naruto eyed her warily as she flexed her arms again. "I feel great."

"Good, cause we've got to go." Naruto offered her the kunai he used to free her and then started towards the door. Looking out into the hallway he held up a hand to stop Anko from coming any closer. He looked back at her after making sure the hallway was clear again. "Here's the plan: you stay behind me and keep up. We're going straight for the exit I have planned. Got it?"

Anko nodded back. "Got it."


	3. A Fox's Cunning

Chapter 3. A Fox's Cunning

Another explosion went off, the aftershock reverberating through the floor and walls, as Naruto and Anko continued their escape from the base. Seconds after securing Anko Naruto had told Kakashi to initiate the next stage of the plan while they made their way to the escape point. And so, for the last minute, explosions had been going off around the base.

So far they hadn't run into any other ninjas yet. That was the way they had planned it. Kakashi and Naruto knew that attacks on the base would draw the enemy to the point of origin, so while explosions went off all around the outer perimeter Naruto lead Anko to the one place that was currently not under attack. The front entrance.

Peeking around another corner a devious smirk played across his lips. The hallway he was about to enter currently had two enemy ninja running in the opposite direction towards the sounds of another explosion. _It's almost too easy _was the thought going through Naruto's mind as he watched the enemy ninja open and close the door at the end of the hallway. Naruto motioned to Anko and they were moving down it as fast as possible towards the same door.

Stopping at the door he turned his senses to the opposite side to check for people. There were ninja on the other side but he could tell they were moving away again.

An explosion went off again but this time there was something different to it. Naruto and Anko both turned their heads towards the sound. What started off as the impact of an explosive tag soon turned into a low rumbling that built up over several seconds before ending with a loud impact that shook the walls and floor much louder than it should have.

Naruto stepped back from the door and keyed his mic. "What the hell is going on out there Kakashi?"

"You're not going to believe this Naruto."

Naruto picked up on the small amount of disbelief in Kakashi's voice. Dread began to well in his gut. Something very bad for the mission had just happened. "What happened?"

"It's…"

"Hanabi."

Naruto's head snapped around to Anko as she finished Kakashi's sentence. He stared straight into her eyes for several seconds and could see the emotions playing out. Relief. Anger. Pride. Turning away from her he spoke to Kakashi again.

"What did she do?"

"She used a Water technique to cause a tidal wave that crashed into the entrance of the base."

Naruto couldn't believe it. He turned to Anko again and got a smile in return.

"That's my girl."

At seeing her expression Naruto felt anger starting to bubble up. They were in the middle of an enemy base and she was proud that her last teammate was jeopardising her rescue? The absurdity of it, coupled with the tension from the mission, had him seething.

That was the moment Kakashi decided to interrupt his thoughts. "Naruto, looks like Plan A is out. Ninja are starting to converge on the entrance."

The distraction was all Naruto needed to push his anger down so he could get on with the mission. It didn't help in keeping the anger out of his voice though. "Damn it! Fine. Go with Plan B."

"Roger."

Naruto turned away from Anko as the sound of people running drew closer from the other end of the hallway. "Looks like we have to go with Plan B now. Follow me." Taking a few steps away from the door Naruto stopped as he reached into the pouch on the back of his belt.

"What's Plan B?"

Not bothering to turn back towards Anko at her question Naruto kept his eyes firmly ahead. The sound of enemy ninja running towards the hallway was getting louder. He knew he only had a few seconds before they were spotted. Every second definitely counted now. He palmed the small ball he pulled from his pouch as he readied himself.

"We go loud."

As the words left his mouth time seemed to slow as he went through several actions in a matter of seconds. Naruto started by releasing the seal he had placed on himself to lower his chakra levels to allow for his infiltration of the base. Chakra started to flood his system at the same time he reared back his right arm and threw the small ball right at the feet of the ninja that just stepped around the corner into the hallway.

The explosion that went off covered the area in smoke. Naruto was just out of its range but he quickly remedied that. With his senses already honed he knew there were only two ninja in the smoke cloud so he had no issue racing in.

Grabbing the first ninja that had come around the corner he planted his knee in the enemy's gut, the man expelling all his breath from the impact, then reached over and grabbed the second enemy ninja by the left arm. Using the momentum from a quick pivot on his right foot Naruto hurled the second ninja behind him and into the man who was beginning to keel over. The force of the throw had both men crashing into the wall of the hallway.

Naruto watched both men slump to the ground in a heap before throwing two kunai he quickly pulled from his hip holster directly into their skulls. Not even sparing the two ninja he just killed a second glance Naruto turned to Anko who he could just now see through the smoke that was rapidly dispersing.

The look of shock on her face would have amused him any other time but right now he couldn't get side-tracked. "C'mon Anko, we've gotta go." Nodding his head down the corridor to his right he began moving down it.

Stopping again at another intersection he could feel Anko catch up. From the harshness of her breathing he could tell he had to hurry.

"What the hell was that?"

Naruto turned back to look at Anko. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean!"

If he wasn't tense Naruto knew he would have sighed in exasperation. He needed to get the mission back on track, not play twenty questions with an already-running-on-fumes Anko.

"Later Anko. Right now we've got to go." Naruto brought his hands up into a seal he had done countless times before. "Kagebunshin no Jutsu."

Instantly six copies of Naruto appeared in the intersection. Without a command three of them transformed into Anko and then three sets of the pair were running off in opposite directions to Naruto and Anko.

This action repeated itself two more times as Naruto lead Anko down two more corridors before stopping in front of a wall. Creating two more clones to watch either end of the hallway they were in Naruto spoke into his mic.

"Kakashi, I'm at the south-east wall. Give me a distraction in ten."

"Got it. I'll blow the north side in ten seconds."

Naruto placed his right hand on the wall for a second and stepped back. Anko mirrored his action as she stared at him expectantly.

"Hmmm... about two feet. Too thick for explosives." Looking at Anko he smirked. "Suppose there's no point in hiding it now." Naruto brought his left arm up to waist height and began forming a Rasengan. In a second the spiralling ball of chakra had formed in his hand.

"Might want to step back a bit further Anko." That was all the notice he gave Anko as in that moment several explosions rang out to the north of them. On cue Naruto thrust the Rasengan in his left arm into the wall, the impact shredding the concrete material in a spiralling pattern outwards from the source.

Naruto waited another second as the Rasengan dug into the wall then let the orb of chakra collapse. With nothing to contain it the chakra lashed out wildly and tore a bigger hole in the wall before dispersing. Naruto allowed a small smile at his handiwork. _Just big enough to fit through._

He turned back towards Anko and created four more pairs of clones. Two pair ran back further into the base while the other two climbed out the freshly made hole and took off. "Let's go Anko."

Climbing through the hole Naruto waited a moment then motioned for Anko to follow. Another set of explosions could be heard in the distance as he waited for Anko to get out of the building.

"So that's Plan B huh?" The playful tone in her voice had Naruto smirking himself.

"It's not over yet." Naruto nodded to the right drawing Anko's eyes to the surroundings. The forest around the base was just in front of them, the tree line hiding the long run back to Konoha. Before that though was about fifty metres of open ground. Open ground used for training. Luckily no-one was using the area at the moment but that would change once they were spotted.

Naruto didn't wait another second and started running towards the tree line, Anko hot on his heels, not even bothering with being spotted as it wouldn't matter in a moment.

"Kakashi, we're out. Blow it all."

The response he got was not the one he wanted. "You at the tree line?"

"Just do it!"

The next response was the one he wanted. Reaching the tree line Naruto turned around to watch as the last of the explosions that were placed went off. The outer perimeter of the base was quickly obscured as explosions shot rock and dirt into the air in every direction while the few tags he and Kakashi were able to place in the base caused more damage to the structure.

Naruto watched for another second before turning and running. While any ninja pursuing them would have to not only contend with getting out of the base but also figure out which direction they went, he didn't want to wait around any longer then he needed to.

* * *

It only took seconds for Kakashi to catch up with Naruto and Anko. Racing through the treetops he spotted the pair weaving through the trees on the ground. Dropping down to ground level he took the position on Anko's left while Naruto continued to lead.

Kakashi looked briefly to Naruto and noticing the concentration on his face he turned to Anko and gave her a once over. _Not as bad as I expected but we better move while she's still mobile._ He turned back to Naruto to give, and get, a status update.

"Everything is blown. No-one is following at the moment."

Naruto nodded in return. "My clones are causing distractions at the moment. Should give us a few more minutes."

Kakashi was happy about that. Apart from the unexpected interruption the plan had gone off pretty well. _Speaking of unexpected interruptions._

The three of them snapped their heads to the right as Hanabi emerged from the treetops and dropped down into position at Anko's right. Kakashi noted that apart from looking a bit beat up the Hyuuga looked to be in good condition despite the attack she pulled off earlier._ Must be the extra training she's be doing with Anko._

"Anko-sensei, I'm glad to see you're alright."

"No thanks to you brat." Despite her injuries Kakashi could hear, and see, the grin in Anko's words.

"Well I was…."

"Could we not do this right now. We've got a mission to accomplish here despite your best attempts at derailing it Hanabi." The tone in Naruto's voice had Kakashi on edge. _Uh-oh._

Kakashi could see the scene playing out before it began. Hanabi was already starting to bite back. "I didn't realise we were on first name terms Uzumaki-san."

_Oh I do not need this right now._ Naruto, Anko, and Hanabi all started to speak at the same time and Kakashi knew he had to intervene now before things got out of hand.

"Enough!." It was a testament to the skill of all involved that as Kakashi drew attention to himself the four of them kept moving in perfect formation through the forest while dodging anything in their way.

"Naruto, keep your eyes forward and lead us home. Anko, keep your mouth shut and try to not to past out. And you," Kakashi fixed Hanabi with a look, "take up the rear and keep your Byakugan active for as long as possible. Got it?" Despite the question Kakashi knew they knew it was anything but.

Three nods of acknowledgement followed and they were once again focusing on their journey back to Konoha, except now it was in silence. Kakashi smiled. _At least they're professional when they need to be._


	4. Stalking a Predator

Chapter 4. Stalking a Predator

Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage, kept her fingers together in front of her as she continued to listen to the mission report that Kakashi and Naruto were currently giving her in her office. Whenever she had to listen to, and think over, something serious she often adopted this pose because it helped her concentrate. And as the leader of Konoha she knew she needed to now.

When she had sent out Kakashi and Naruto on an assassination mission earlier in the week she didn't expect them to come back with half of Team Anko and news that unidentified ninja were attacking her forces. And considering the Intel reports she had read recently, and the bad luck she was sometimes subjected to, she couldn't help but feel that these two events were connected somehow.

"And that's everything up to our return to Konoha, Hokage-sama." Tsunade nodded once as Kakashi finished the report. Shifting her eyes from Kakashi she looked at Naruto to see if he had anything to add at the moment.

Naruto took that as an indication to speak. "I have nothing to add as of this moment Hokage-sama." The form of address he used would have normally had Tsunade worried that something was wrong, but she knew that was how he acted now when the situation was serious.

Tsunade let out a sigh as she leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and pinched the bridge of her nose with her left hand. _Things are getting pretty serious, but what can be done? _Tsunade needed an answer fast.

Contemplating the information at hand Tsunade found herself remembering something Jiraiya had once told her during an argument they had. And while she couldn't remember the specifics of the argument his response was clear as day. _'I provide the information so those in command can make informed decisions'._ Tsunade allowed a small smile as she pictured Jiraiya's face as he spoke.

Before she could dwell any further on the past though a low scoffing sound interrupted her thoughts. Opening her eyes she leaned forward and locked eyes with the person who made the sound. Naruto stared back at her intently but then looked away towards the windows lining the left hand side of the office. _What the hell is his problem?_

"Is there something you would like to say Naruto?"

Without even looking at her Naruto responded. "I'm just curious if you've thought of naming a successor yet?"

Tsunade blinked once at that. _Why is he asking about a successor?_ Confused she looked at Kakashi and noted the brief look of disbelief in his lone visible eye. _Odd._ Tsunade then looked back at Naruto, who was now looking at her again, and saw the small smirk on his face.

Instantly it hit Tsunade as to what Naruto meant. Jumping to her feet fast, the chair she was in pushed back into the wall behind her, Tsunade slammed both palms down hard on the desk in front of her.

"Listen here brat! I'm the Hokage and I will not be spoken to in such a manner. Do I make myself clear?" Using a bit of killing intent to punctuate her question she noted with satisfaction that it wasn't just Naruto who was wary of her now but also Kakashi.

"Yes Hokage-sama!" Seeing both of them salute and speak at the same time had Tsunade smiling a bit on the inside. However she didn't let that show.

"Good. Now I have some questions that I need answered in order to clarify some things." Tsunade pulled her chair back towards her and sat down as Kakashi and Naruto nodded to confirm they were ready to answer.

"Now about the base you infiltrated in order to rescue Anko. It was built upon and around an old abandoned building, correct?"

"Yes Hokage-sama. Naruto and I noted that while some sections of the base looked completely new, other sections looked patched up." Tsunade nodded at Kakashi's answer.

"And the ninja in the base, while having a clear chain of command, had no visible village affiliation?"

"Correct Hokage-sama." Naruto's answer brought her attention to him, but Naruto didn't wait for a prompt to continue. "I noted several times while moving around the base that the ninja were all wearing headbands with a slash through the village symbol to indicate missing-nin status."

"What villages, and was there more of a particular village?"

Tsunade watched Naruto contemplate her questions. "I noted Suna, Iwa, Kumo, Hoshi, and Oto headbands. There wasn't a particular village represented more than another."

"I see."

"Hokage-sama, if I may?" Tsunade nodded at Naruto's question to speak.

"Kakashi didn't mention this because he was outside the base, but as I was walking around trying to find Anko I noted something strange."

"And what would that be?"

"There weren't as many Jounin level ninja as I thought."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow at this. "And why would that be something of concern?"

Naruto continued. "In Hyuuga Hanabi's report on the ambush of her team she noted that they were attacked by two squads of Jounin level ninja. Obviously because the enemy ninja were trying to capture herself and Anko they sent a bigger force to overwhelm Anko's team. However I can say that I definitely didn't sense that many Jounin's in the base during my infiltration."

"They could have easily been in another part of the base or out on patrol."

Kakashi interrupted the conversation. "I don't agree with that Hokage-sama. While it's possible they could have been somewhere else in the base, we were there for almost a day and I spotted no ninja on patrol higher than Chuunin. That was one of the reasons we were able to execute the rescue successfully."

Tsunade thought about that for a moment. _A large number of Jounin level ninja that execute an ambush but don't guard the base they take their prisoners to. I think I see where this is going._

"The ninja who captured Anko and Hanabi were from a different base."

"Or bases Hokage-sama. It fits with everything we both saw while there. Clear organisation of forces. Good relations with the populace of the surrounding area."

"And even after Hyuuga Hanabi almost botched the mission by attacking the base, an action that should have had every ninja attacking her in seconds, we were all still able to make it out and away relatively easy." Kakashi gave Naruto a strained look at his interruption.

Several seconds passed as Tsunade mulled over the new information provided. Everything was pointing towards an organisation of missing-nin operating several bases within allied territory. An organisation that was able to coordinate missions between forces in different areas and attack ninja from other villages. And as Hokage Tsunade knew she couldn't allow such a situation to continue and needed to act.

However she also knew they had no solid evidence, except for a mission report, at the moment and they would need more than that before asking for cooperation from the Damiyo of Hot Springs country in investigating, and eliminating, any threat.

_We need to act according to the terms of our alliance with Hot Springs country, but we can't let things get too far out of hand._

Lifting up the coffee mug on her desk Tsunade drank the last of its contents before speaking. "This is what we are going to do. Everything about this rescue mission is classified for the moment until I say otherwise, right?" Kakashi and Naruto both nodded. "In the meantime I'm going to send a letter to the Damiyo of Hot Springs country letting him know that a team of my ninja were attacked within his borders but they were able to get away. Got that?"

Kakashi nodded. "Sure"

"Why the lie?"

"Because Naruto, by telling the Damiyo this version of events I can see whether or not he is aware of what's going on by his response."

"Provide incorrect information to see if a friend is actually an enemy?"

"Correct. And by telling you, Kakashi, and eventually Anko and Hanabi, what's going to happen, all our stories match up just in case." Naruto nodded in confirmation of Tsunade's explanation.

"What about the attack on our ninja?"

Tsunade sighed before answering Kakashi's question. "At the moment all we can do is notify all ninja leaving the village to be on high alert for attacks."

"Business as usual then?" The edge in Naruto's voice told Tsunade where he was going with the question.

"No. I'll have Intel look into the attack and any other encounters, past and future, that may tie into it. Once we get some more evidence we'll be able to do something more than sit and wait."

Naruto nodded in acceptance. "I understand Hokage-sama."

_Sit and wait._ She didn't like the idea of her ninja being attacked by an enemy force, especially since she couldn't do much about it at the moment, but she could minimise the risk to those under her command. And while it could lead to an undesirable outcome they now had a clear course of action.

"Now that that is taken care of for the moment, I just want to say that you two did well out there. I don't think anyone else could have handled both missions as well as you did."

"Thank you."

"Thanks"

Tsunade stood up and moved around the desk to stand right in front of both Naruto and Kakashi. "I want you both to get a check-up at the hospital. You," Tsunade looked at Naruto, "are dismissed until further notice." She then looked at Kakashi. "I want you back here tomorrow morning at nine."

"Roger."

"Will do Hokage-sama."

Naruto turned around and starting walking towards the door to the office while Kakashi disappeared in a swirl of leaves. Watching them both leave caused something to click in Tsunade's mind about something Naruto said earlier. _I don't believe it. _

Seeing Naruto opening the door Tsunade called out to him before he could go any further. "Hey brat."

Naruto turned around. "Yeah?"

"Thanks for getting me back on track there."

It took a second for Naruto to understand what she was saying and then he answered. "Sure thing Baa-chan. Old age can make it hard to stay on track sometimes."

"Why you little…" Tsunade watched as Naruto, now smirking, ducked his head as the paperweight she threw smashed into the door to the office.

"Geez baa-chan, your aim is even suffering. Maybe you should think of retiring sooner rather than later."

The next item Tsunade threw, an empty coffee mug, soared through the air faster than the paperweight due to the extra force she put in throw. She noted with satisfaction the brief look of surprise from Naruto at the velocity of the object, however she was left disappointed again as Naruto quickly opened and closed the door before it got to him.

The next few seconds were silent as Tsunade calmed herself down. Her eyes drifted from the door to the floor where the coffee mug she threw was now laying in several pieces. A small sigh escaped her lips.

"Damn it, that was my favourite."

* * *

I just want to make a quick note in regards to some reviews and feedback I've received. First, thanks for the feedback so far. It's much appreciated. Second, I don't want to spoil too much about the story by saying whether this pairing or that pairing of characters will happen. I do feel a bit bad saying that but I really want the story to be an engaging read that will have an element of surprise to it. However I also will admit that the reader in me is a bit annoyed I haven't made some things clear from the outset. So if you want me to write up a brief outline showing character pairings, timeline, and changes from the canon, let me know in the reviews section. Depending on which way the responses go I'll act accordingly.


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